A lecturer at the School of Communications, University of Ghana Dr Etse Sikanku has lashed out strongly at the western media for its continual negative reportage on Africa as a continent of poverty, disease, illiteracy and lost hope.
He accused the foreign media for failing to give accurate reportage on issues concerning the African continent especially the recent speculative coverage of the ebola deadly pandemic which according to him was characterized by scare mongering of Africa.
Dr Sikanku made this observation at the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana recently during a workshop organized by the Economy of Ghana Network (EGN) to discuss the Ghanaian media coverage of public health emergencies.
According to him, the secured emphasis on fruits bats, bush meats and monkeys as hosts of the ebola viral disease fits into the whole scheme that the disease is an African disease hence creates more panic and beats the disaster drums.
He noted that until America was affected by the disease, it was difficult for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the world to consider ebola as a global concern.
Dr Etse Sikanku also expressed regret about the ignorance and denial stages that greeted the disease which he noted worsened the rate of its contraction and deaths.
He described as unfortunate and condemned the false misrepresentation comments made by people in society who were expected to have known better.
Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Mr Suleiman Braimah emphasized the critical need for the media to be used as a tool for national development.
He commended the media in Ghana for its efforts role in health promotion and called for media rights and freedoms to be respected in Africa.
Mr Kwako Botwe, a lecturer at NAFTI made a presentation on Media coverage on ebola and cholera: a content analysis of two Ghanaian news papers whiles Proffessor Isaac Blankson of Southern IIIinois University, Dr Etse Sikanku and Madam Victoria Adu both of the University of Ghana made separate presentations on: Disease outbreaks and media narratives in the age of globalization: A Framing analysis of ebola coverage in western and non western media.
The event was moderated by Bernard Avle Operations Manager of Citi Fm who is the media focal person of the EGN.
The Economy of Ghana Network is a network of professionals and civil society groupings that is committed to provide solutions through advocacy and alternative solutions to Ghana’s economic issues and development.
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